Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Iandgt;"I wish to be the thinnest girl at school, or maybe even the thinnest eleven-year-old on the entire planet,"andlt;/Iandgt; confides Lori Gottlieb to her diary. "I mean, what are girls supposed to wish for, other than being thin?" andlt;BRandgt; For a girl growing up in Beverly Hills in 1978, the motto "You can never be too rich or too thin" is writ large. Precocious Lori learns her lessons well, so when she's told that "real women don't eat dessert" and "no one could ever like a girl who has thunder thighs," she decides to become a paragon of dieting. Soon Lori has become the "stick figure" she's longed to resemble. But then what? andlt;Iandgt;Stick Figureandlt;/Iandgt; takes the reader on a gripping journey, as Lori struggles to reclaim both her body and her spirit. andlt;BRandgt; By turns painful and wry, Lori's efforts to reconcile the conflicting messages society sends women ring as true today as when she first recorded these impressions. "One diet book says that if you drink three full glasses of water one hour before every meal to fill yourself up, you'll lose a pound a day. Another book says that once you start losing weight, everyone will ask, 'How did you do it?' but you shouldn't tell them because it's 'your little secret.' Then right above that part it says, andlt;Iandgt;'New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; bestseller.' Some secret." andlt;BRandgt; With an edgy wit and keenly observant eye, andlt;Iandgt;Stick Figureandlt;/Iandgt; delivers an engrossing glimpse into the mind of a girl in transition to adulthood. This raw, no-holds-barred account is a powerful cautionary tale about the dangers of living up to society's expectations.
Review
Peggy Orenstein author of andlt;Iandgt;School Girls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gapandlt;/Iandgt; By turns earnest and funny, hopeful and tragic, eleven-year-old Lori is a latter-day Alice: She takes us through the distorted looking glass that's held up to young girls and into the harrowing land of eating disorders. There is no other word for it: You will devour this book -- and, hopefully, keep right on eating.
Review
Sarah Saffian author of andlt;Iandgt;Ithaka: A Daughter's Memoir of Being Foundandlt;/Iandgt; Lori Gottlieb's eleven-year-old self is a singular storyteller of unblinking candor and precocious insight. As rife with wry humor as it is lacking in self-pity, this fast-paced chronicle of late-1970s adolescent anorexia is narrated with a light touch, and yet is chilling and poignant in its straightforward simplicity.
Review
Martha Manning author of andlt;Iandgt;Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surfaceandlt;/Iandgt; Lori Gottlieb's approach is compassionate, and very, very funny. More than just a book about anorexia, andlt;Iandgt;Stick Figureandlt;/Iandgt; is an entertaining and thoughtful coming-of-age story that deals with an almost universal theme -- negotiating the minefields of early adolescence and living to tell the tale.
Synopsis
Based on the author's childhood journals, "a smart, funny, compassionate journal of the author's bout with anorexia at age eleven" (Entertainment Weekly) .
"I wish to be the thinnest girl at school, or maybe even the thinnest eleven-year-old on the entire planet," confides Lori Gottlieb to her diary. "I mean, what are girls supposed to wish for, other than being thin?"
For a girl growing up in Beverly Hills in 1978, the motto "You can never be too rich or too thin" is writ large. Precocious Lori learns her lessons well, so when she's told that "real women don't eat dessert" and "no one could ever like a girl who has thunder thighs," she decides to become a paragon of dieting. Soon Lori has become the "stick figure" she's longed to resemble. But then what? Stick Figure takes the reader on a gripping journey, as Lori struggles to reclaim both her body and her spirit.
By turns painful and wry, Lori's efforts to reconcile the conflicting messages society sends women ring as true today as when she first recorded these impressions. "One diet book says that if you drink three full glasses of water one hour before every meal to fill yourself up, you'll lose a pound a day. Another book says that once you start losing weight, everyone will ask, 'How did you do it?' but you shouldn't tell them because it's 'your little secret.' Then right above that part it says, 'New York Times bestseller.' Some secret."
With an edgy wit and keenly observant eye, Stick Figure delivers an engrossing glimpse into the mind of a girl in transition to adulthood. This raw, no-holds-barred account is a powerful cautionary tale about the dangers of living up to society's expectations.
Synopsis
Lori Gottlieb--psychotherapist, national advice columnist, and New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk To Someone--shares her "gripping" (The Boston Globe) chronicle of adolescent anorexia that "stands out as a fresh, edgy take...on that perilous time in a girl's life when she's no longer a child but not quite an adult (Entertainment Weekly). For a girl growing up in Beverly Hills in 1978, the motto "You can never be too rich or too thin" is writ large. Precocious Lori learns her lessons well, so when she's told that "real women don't eat dessert" and "no one could ever like a girl who has thunder thighs," she decides to become a paragon of dieting. Soon Lori has become the "stick figure" she's longed to resemble. But then what? Stick Figure takes the reader on a gripping journey, as Lori struggles to reclaim both her body and her spirit.
By turns painful and wry, Lori's efforts to reconcile the conflicting messages society sends women ring as true today as when she first recorded these impressions. "One diet book says that if you drink three full glasses of water one hour before every meal to fill yourself up, you'll lose a pound a day. Another book says that once you start losing weight, everyone will ask, 'How did you do it?' but you shouldn't tell them because it's 'your little secret.' Then right above that part it says, 'New York Times bestseller.' Some secret."
Based on the author's childhood journals, Stick Figure is "a smart, funny, compassionate" (Entertainment Weekly) tale that delivers an engrossing glimpse into the mind of a girl in transition to adulthood and a powerful cautionary tale about the dangers of living up to society's expectations.
Synopsis
Stick Figure is a raw, no-holds-barred cautionary tale about the dangers of living up to society's expectations.
About the Author
Lori Gottlieb is author of the national bestseller, andlt;iandgt;Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Selfandlt;/iandgt;, an American Library Association "Best Books 2001" selection and a Borders "Original New Voice" title. Based on her childhood diaries, andlt;iandgt;Stick Figureandlt;/iandgt; was optioned for film by Martin Scorsese, who described Loriand#8217;s quirky teen narrator as "Holden Caulfield goes on a misguided diet."andnbsp; Lori is a regular commentator for NPRand#8217;s All Things Considered, and her radio features have aired on public radioand#8217;s This American Life, Weekend Edition, The Tavis Smiley Show and Marketplace.andnbsp;As a journalist and columnist, Lori has written for andlt;iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The Los Angeles Timesandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Time, People, The Atlantic, Elle, Glamour, Redbook, Slate, Salon, Seventeen, CosmoGirl!, The L.A. Weekly, The San Francisco Chronicleandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;The New York Postandlt;/iandgt;.andnbsp;She also penned the monthly and#8220;Brunch Withand#8221; relationships column for andlt;iandgt;Mademoiselleandlt;/iandgt;.
Table of Contents
andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Part One: Winter 1978andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;"Who Do You Think You Are, Young Lady?"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Captain of Justiceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Power Paragraphandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Real Women Don't Eat Dessertandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Thunder Thighsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Sex Educationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Chameleonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happinessandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;"That's My Girl"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Lori Monumentandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Sorry About the Milk Shake, Mr. Presidentandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Day of Atonementandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Part Two: Spring 1978andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Please Help the Hungryandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Lactose Intolerantandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;If You Can Pinch an Inchandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Level F, Section Pinkandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Facts and Figureandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Shrink Meandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Absolute Delightandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Don't Talk with Your Mouth Fullandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Chewing on Airandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;"Hello, Angels....It's Charlie"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;E Is for Electrolyteandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Part Three: Summer 1978andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Breck Girlandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Fractionsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Brownieandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Camp Cedarsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Noraandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Hey, Taxiandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Shereen's Jeansandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Life without Andy Gibbandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Cutting the Fatandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Secretary Schoolandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;North Starandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Do Not Resuscitateandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Stick Figureandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Eggshellsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;You Can Never Be Too Rich or Too Thinandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Epilogueandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Acknowledgmentsandlt;/Iandgt;